Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 25:8
Go not forth hastily to strive, lest [thou know not] what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbor hath put thee to shame.
8. thou know not] These words are also inserted in R.V. text, with the alternative in the margin, Lest it be said in the end thereof, What wilt thou do? when &c. The Heb. as it stands is forcible in its abruptness: Lest what wilt thou do in the end thereof? &c.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
8 10. The admonition in these verses is general: Be not of a contentious spirit; plunge not hastily into quarrels (comp. the use of the same word “strive,” Gen 26:20; Exo 21:18; Deu 33:8). But there is a special and perhaps primary reference to going to law (obs. thy cause, Pro 25:9, the same Heb. word as in Exo 23:2-3). The passage will then nearly resemble our Lord’s teaching: so far from “going forth hastily to strive,” “agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him”; show a placable disposition, and instead of seeking the publicity of the law-court, “debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself.” And do this from a consideration of what litigation persisted in may involve: lest thou know not what to do,” &c.; “lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge,” &c. Mat 5:25-26.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The general meaning is: It is dangerous to plunge into litigation. At all times, there is the risk of failure, and, if we fail, of being at the mercy of an irritated adversary. Without the italics, the clause may be rendered, lest thou do something (i. e., something humiliating and vexatious) at the end thereof.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Pro 25:8-10
Go not forth hastily to strive.
The worst and best ways of treating social dissensions
The social dissensions that are rife in our world are incontestable proofs that humanity has fallen from its normal condition. There is society in heaven, but no social differences or strifes. The text indicates the best and the worst way of treating such dissensions.
I. The worst way. Go not forth hastily to strive.
1. Precipitant strife is bad in itself. Men should never be hasty in yielding to a passion. They should make the passion, however strong and tumultuous for the moment, the subject of thought, and by thought should subdue, purify, and direct it.
2. Precipitant strife exposes to shame. Lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.
II. The best way. Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself, etc. The direction here seems to imply three things–
1. That an interview is to be obtained at once with the offender. Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself.
2. That an interview is to be obtained in order to talk the offence over. Debate thy cause.
3. That the offence must be thus debated before the secret is divulged to another. Discover not a secret to another.
4. That should the secret be divulged to another the pacific objects of the interview might be nullified. Lest he that heareth it, etc. (Homilist.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 8. Go not forth hastily to strive] lerib, to enter into a lawsuit. Keep from this pit of the bottomless deep, unless urged by the direst necessity.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Go not forth hastily, without necessary cause and due consideration, to strive, either judicially or otherwise.
Put thee to shame, for thy folly in undertaking what thou wast not able to accomplish, and for thy injustice in charging him wrongfully.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
8. (Compare Pr3:30).
lest . . . shamelestyou do what you ought not, when shamed by defeat, or “lest thouart shut out from doing any thing.”
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Go not forth hastily to strive,…. To go to law with a neighbour; think well of it beforehand; consider the nature of the cause, whether right or wrong; or whether it is a matter of such moment as to go to law about; whether it will not be deemed a frivolous and vexatious suit; whether able to bear the expenses of it, and what may probably be the success of it;
lest [thou know not] what to do in the end thereof; for a livelihood, having spent all thy substance in the lawsuit, and so reduced to poverty as not to know how to live, or how and where to show thy face, through the disgrace that shall fall upon time by losing the cause;
when that neighbour hath put thee to shame; in open court, and proved himself to be in the right, and that thou art in the wrong; himself an honest man, and thee a litigious person.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
8 Go not forth hastily to strife,
That it may not be said, “What wilt thou do in the end thereof,
When now thy neighbour bringeth disgrace upon thee?”
9 Art thou striving with thy neighbour? strive with him,
But disclose not the secret of another;
10 That he who heareth it may not despise thee,
And thine evil name depart no more.
Whether in is infin., as at Jdg 21:22, or subst., as at 2Ch 19:8, is not decided: ad litigandum and ad litem harmonize. As little may it be said whether in [go not forth], a going out to the gate (court of justice), or to the place where he is to be met who is to be called to account, is to be thought of; in no respect is the sense metaphorical: let not thyself transgress the bounds of moderation, ne te laisse pas emporter ; is correlate to , Jdg 21:22. The use of in 8b is unprecedented. Euchel and Lwenstein regard it as an imper.: reflect upon it (test it); but does not signify this, and the interjectional does not show the possibility of an imper. Kal , and certainly not ( ). The conj. is the connecting form of an original subst. (= panj ), which signifies a turning away. It is mostly connected with the future, according to which Nolde, Oetinger, Ewald, and Bertheau explain indefinite, something, viz., unbecoming. In itself, it may, perhaps, be possible that was used in the sense of ne quid ( Venet. ); but “to do something,” for “to commit something bad,” is improbable; also in that case we would expect the words to be thus: . Thus will be an interrogative, as at 1Sa 20:10 ( vid., Keil), and the expression is brachyogical: that thou comest not into the situation not to know what thou oughtest to do (Rashi: ), or much rather anakoluth.; for instead of saying , the poet, shunning this unusual , adopts at once the interrogative form: that it may not be said at the end thereof (viz., of the strife); what wilt thou do? (Umbreit, Stier, Elster, Hitzig, and Zckler). This extreme perplexity would occur if thy neighbour (with whom thou disputest so eagerly and unjustly) put thee to shame, so that thou standest confounded ( , properly to hurt, French blesser ). If now the summons 9a follows this warning against going out for the purpose of strife: fight out thy conflict with thy neighbour, then , set forth with emphasis, denotes not such a strife as one is surprised into, but that into which one is drawn, and the tuam in causam tuam is accented in so far as 9b localizes the strife to the personal relation of the two, and warns against the drawing in of an , i.e., in this case, of a third person: and expose not the secret of another (after Michlol 130a, and Ben-Bileam, who places the word under the ‘ ‘ , is vocalized with Pathach on , as is Cod. 1294, and elsewhere in correct texts). One ought not to bring forward in a dispute, as material of proof and means of acquittal, secrets entrusted to him by another, or secrets which one knows regarding the position and conduct of another; for such faithlessness and gossiping affix a stigma on him who avails himself of them, in the public estimation, Pro 25:10; that he who hears it may not blame thee ( = Aram. , vid., under Pro 14:34), and the evil report concerning thee continue without recall. Fleischer: ne infamia tua non recedat i.e., nunquam desinat per ora hominum propagari , with the remark, “in , which properly means in stealthy creeping on of the rumour, and in lies a (Arab.) tarshyh ,” i.e., the two ideas stand in an interchangeable relation with a play upon the words: the evil rumour, once put in circulation, will not again retrace its steps; but, on the contrary, as Virgil says:
Mobilitate viget viresque acquirit eundo .
In fact, every other can sooner rehabilitate himself in the public estimation that he who is regarded as a prattler, who can keep no secret, or as one so devoid of character that he makes public what he ought to keep silent, if he can make any use of it in his own interest. In regard to such an one, the words are continually applicable, hic niger est, hunc tu, Romane, caveto , Pro 20:19. The lxx has, instead of 10b, read , and translated it with the addition of a long appendix: “They quarrel, and hostilities will not cease, but will be to thee like death. Kindness and friendship deliver, let these preserve thee, that thou mayest not become one meriting reproaches (Jerome: ne exprobrabilis fias ), but guard thy ways, .”
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
8 Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame. 9 Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another: 10 Lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away.
I. Here is good counsel given about going to law:– 1. “Be not hasty in bringing an action, before thou hast thyself considered it, and consulted with thy friends about it: Go not forth hastily to strive; do not send for a writ in a passion, or upon the first appearance of right on thy side, but weigh the matter deliberately, because we are apt to be partial in our own cause; consider the certainty of the expenses and the uncertainty of the success, how much care and vexation it will be the occasion of, and, after all, the cause may go against thee; surely then thou shouldst not go forth hastily to strive.” 2. “Bring not an action before thou hast tried to end the matter amicably ( v. 9): Debate thy cause with thy neighbour privately, and perhaps you will understand one another better and see that there is no occasion to go to law.” In public quarrels the war that must at length end might better have been prevented by a treaty of peace, and a great deal of blood and treasure spared. It is so in private quarrels: “Sue not thy neighbour as a heathen man and a publican until thou hast told him his fault between thee and him alone, and he has refused to refer the matter, or to come to an accommodation. Perhaps the matter in variance is a secret, not fit to be divulged to any, much less to be brought upon the stage before the country; and therefore end it privately, that it may not be discovered.” Reveal not the secret of another, so some read it. “Do not, in revenge, to disgrace thy adversary, disclose that which should be kept private and which does not at all belong to the cause.”
II. Two reasons he gives why we should be thus cautious in going to law:– 1. “Because otherwise the cause will be in danger of going against thee, and thou wilt not know what to do when the defendant has justified himself in what thou didst charge upon him, and made it out that thy complaint was frivolous and vexatious and that thou hadst no just cause of action, and so put thee to shame, non-suit thee, and force thee to pay costs, all which might have been prevented by a little consideration.” 2. “Because it will turn very much to thy reproach if thou fall under the character of being litigious. Not only the defendant himself (v. 8), but he that hears the cause tried will put thee to shame, will expose thee as a man of no principle, and thy infamy will not turn away; thou wilt never retrieve thy reputation.”
| Instructive Similes. | |
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Resolution of Strife With Neighbor
Verses 8-10 advise against acting in haste to discuss with others or begin litigation in a cause of strife with a neighbor. The wise course recommended is to consider first whether there is a cause worthy of complaint, and if so, discuss the matter with the neighbor alone, refraining from any disclosure to others. In addition to the cautions of Pro 17:14; Pro 20:3; Pro 25:11-12, Jesus urged private discussion first, Mat 18:15; and settlement without litigation, Mat 5:25-26; Mat 5:40. See also 1Co 6:1.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
CRITICAL NOTES.
Pro. 25:8. Lest thou know not, etc. As will be seen from the italics in the English version, this sentence is very elliptical. Zckler reads, lest (it be said to thee) what wilt thou do, etc. Delitzsch, That it may not be said, etc. Miller, Lest what thou doest, in its after consequence, be thy neighbour putting thee to shame.
Pro. 25:9. A secret to another. Rather The secret of another
Pro. 25:11. Pictures of silver. Literally sculpture, or figures of silver. Delitzsch translates salvers, Zckler framework. Stuart says, The idea is that of a garment of precious stuff, on which is embroidered golden apples among picture-work of silver. Costly and precious was such a garment held to be; for, besides the ornaments upon it, the material itself was of high value. Fitly spoken. Literally in, or upon its time.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH. Pro. 25:8-11
TWO WAYS OF TREATING AN ENEMY
It is undoubtedly lawful, and sometimes indispensable, that a man who has been wronged by another should seek redress from the offending person. These verses seem no refer to an injury done to character and reputation, and seeing that these are a mans most precious possessions, he has certainly as much right to seek restitution from him who has sought to rob him of this wealth, as he has to try and capture the thief who has stolen his money or his plate, and make him give back his unlawful gain. Solomon does not condemn all interference with a neighbour who puts us to shame, but sets before us two opposite courses of action, either of which may be taken in such a case. He gives the consequences of both.
I. There is the way of inconsiderate passion. This is a bad way, because
1. It may lead us to overstep the bounds of right and justice. A man under the power of anger has no ear open to the counsels of reason and prudence, and under such an influence he will very likely become as great an offender against his neighbour as his neighbour was against him. He in his turn may become a slanderer and a betrayer of secrets (Pro. 25:9), and so lose all hold on his opponent; and even be put to shame by the very person whom he intended to bring to shame. He is like a blindfolded man who rushes hastily down a steep path without considering what will be the end of so mad an Acts 2. It is the least likely way to convince the offender of his fault. Words of angry recrimination, or deeds which savour of the spirit of revenge, will almost certainly make an enemy tenfold more of an enemy. If he disliked us before without any reason, his dislike will now have some foundation to rest upon, and the gulf of separation will be widened instead of bridged over. The end to be aimed at when a brother man has trespassed against us is clearly defined by Christ. We are to try to gain our brother (Mat. 18:15), that is, we are to try and win his esteem and love. This can never be done if we go forth hastily to strive. But
II. There is the way of personal and wise remonstrance.
1. The complaint of our wrongs is to be made first to the person offending. Here the teaching of the wise man and the greater than Solomon are identical. If thy brother trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. (Mat. 18:15.) To speak of it to a third person is to expose our neighbour unnecessarily, and, perhaps, to blacken his character far beyond his deserts. For, although we may give a plain unvarnished tale of his offence, he to whom we give it may colour it when he repeats it to another, and so what was but a molehill at the first may grow into a mountain before long. But if we go directly to the transgressor himself, we make it plain to him that we have no desire to make him suffer for his offence, and only ask him to deal with us in the same spirit of brotherly love in which we deal with him. Our willingness to cover his fault will go a long way towards persuading him to confess and forsake it.
2. We are to reason and persuade rather than to upbraid. The discourse is to take the form of a calm debate. We are to ask for the grounds of his attack upon us, and not be too proud to enter into explanations of any act that he may have misconstrued. We are to try and convince him of the harm he will do to himself if he persist in trying to injure another, and we are to seek to clothe all our arguments and entreaties in language which is the least likely to offend and most calculated to win. Such words are compared by Solomon to a beautiful work of art which is precious and admirable not only for the skill displayed in the workmanship, but for the costly nature of the material out of which it is fashioned. (See Critical Notes on Pro. 25:11.) It may be a robe of costly material embroidered with gold and silver, or it may be a basket of wrought silver holding fruits of gold, but whatever the exact form of the production, it reveals skilful design on the part of the artist, and bears witness to his painstaking skill. A carefully framed appeal to lay before an offending brother is a work of art in a higher sphereit calls forth all the tact and wisdom that we possess to fashion such a garmentto carve such a piece of work, but it is worth all the labour and pains that can be spent upon it, and will bring to its author the goodwill of others and the approval of his own conscience.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Pro. 25:8. For the sake of illustration, to suppose two or three varieties of this result:
1. The hasty man meets his supposed adversary,some word or act of whom has just reached him. He is all full of the fuming pride of offended self-consequence; very big; very wrathful. In this spirit he makes his charge; and finds it is a mere idle unfounded rumour that has come to his ears; that there is actually nothing in it; that nothing of the kind has ever been either said or done; that there is no ground whatever for all his excitement and transport!How foolish he looks, when his imagined enemy, against whom he has been breathing out the vehemence of passion, all collected and cool, stands wondering at his agitation,unable to divine what has come over him!And how is he laughed at for having stirred himself up to all this heat and hurry,all this violence of emotionfor nothing!
2. It turns out that in the cause between him and his neighbour, which he has so hastily taken up, he is in the wrongthat, after all his froth and bluster, truth and justice are clearly on the other side, with all the solid and satisfactory argument; while on his there is little or nothing beyond the noisy and vehement protestations of self-sufficiency, and he is quite unable to withstand the proofs against himthe verdict of all impartial persons being in favour of his opponent. In this case, he must either, after having his pride keenly mortified, cool down, and own himself in the wrongwhich is the best thing he can do, but far from easy to a man of his temper; or the more he is overpowered by evidence of facts and by sound argument, the more must the sense of conscious defeat, and consequent feeling of inferiority, inflame him to rage; by which he will only render himself the more ridiculous, and give cause of more lasting mortification and shame.
3. The same things are true of a controversial dispute on any subject. Generally speaking, the hastiest and most self-confident is the most likely to fail. Such confidence very often accompanies partial information and superficial and one-sided views. The petulant, consequential disputant goes forth hastily to strive, in the full assurance that his arguments are such as cannot be resisted, and in the full flush of anticipated triumphof victory before the battle. But objections meet him, of which he had never thought. Arguments are arrayed and urged on the opposite side, such as had never occurred to his own mind, and such, therefore, as he did not at all expect, and cannot refute. He is abashed, confounded, stupified.Wardlaw.
It is he that liveth in peace that doth enjoy himself. It is he that is at home, and findeth the comfort of what God hath bestowed upon him. He that falleth into strife goeth from his rest and contentment, goeth forth from himself, so that he is hardly himself while the strife continues. Therefore let not strife be a thing into which thou art carried of thine own accord; but either let thine adversary drive thee into it, or else let necessity or some good reason either draw thee or force thee.Jermin.
Pro. 25:11. The beauty of the texture sets off the fruit with additional charms. So does a lovely medium enhance the attractiveness of truth. The preacher should strive to find out acceptable wordswords fitly spokengiving to each their proper meatand that in due season, suited to their ages and difference of temperament. How forcible are right words! (Job. 6:25.) Our Lord witnessed of Himself, as gifted with the tongue of the learned, that He might know how to speak the word in season (Isa. 50:4)a word upon the wheelsnot forced or dragged, but rolling smoothly along, like the chariot-wheels. His discourses on the living water and the bread of life arose naturally out of the conversation, and therefore were full of arresting application. Paul powerfully charged superstition on the Athenians by an inscription on their own altar; and strengthened his reasoning by quoting from one of their own poets. (Act. 17:22-28.) To a corrupt and profligate judge he preached righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come. (Act. 24:25.)Bridges.
That words may deserve this character, they must be the words of truth; for falsehood and error are on no occasion fit to be spoken. And therefore Job reproves his friends for endeavouring, by false doctrine, to comfort him, and direct his exercise in the time of his distress. But words may be true and yet unfitly spoken, for although nothing is to be spoken but truth, yet truth is not always to be spoken. Doeg the Edomite was guilty of murder before he killed the priests of the Lord, by telling the enraged tyrant that David had received bread and asword from Ahimelech. Jonathan was a man of a very opposite spirit, and discovered it by the seasonable mention he made to his father of Davids exploit in slaying Goliath. By putting Saul in mind of this noble action, he disarmed for a time his angry resentments.Lawson.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(8) When thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.Proved thee to be in the wrong, and won his cause against thee.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
8. Go not forth to strive Do not begin controversies, nor contend at law.
Know not what to do Or, lest thou do something in the end that is humiliating or vexatious. Some critics would read the passage, Lest it be said to thee, What wilt thou do? The teaching is: “It is dangerous to plunge into litigation;” and the experience of thousands of years, and ten thousands of men, confirm it.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Wisdom in Dealing with Relationships Pro 25:8-20 focus upon how to have proper relationships with one’s neighbour.
Outline Here is a proposed outline:
1. Handling Offences Pro 25:8-10
2. The Power of the Spoken Word Pro 25:11-15
3. Too Much of Something Good is not Always Good Pro 25:16-17
4. Betrayal and Poor Judgment Pro 25:18-20
Pro 25:8-10 Handling Offences – Pro 25:8-10 forms a heptastitch (7 lines) of three verses that teaches us how to deal with offences when a person believes his neighbour has done him wrong. These verses warn us not to be hasty to bring an accusation against our neighbour because we may be wrong, and a person with a tongue full of false accusations receives a bad reputation, which will not pass away.
We find Jesus teaching on this same subject of handling offences in Mat 18:15-17.
Mat 18:15-17, “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.”
Within the context of Solomon’s Second Collection (25-29), in which the proverbs emphasize divine decrees that establish a kingdom, the king makes an observation that must have occurred many times before his throne, which was the embarrassment of an accuser before his opponent, who quickly proves the accuser wrong. Thus, King Solomon wants to establish one aspect of righteousness in the kingdom by having the people use wisdom before entering into strife and litigation. They should follow a procedure of trying to settle disputes between themselves before taking things to the extreme of going to court, which is an embarrassment for those accused.
Pro 25:8 Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.
Pro 25:8
Pro 25:9 Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another:
Pro 25:9
Mat 18:15, “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.”
Pro 25:10 Lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away.
Pro 25:11-15
Pro 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.
Pro 25:11
Comments – The word ( ) literally means, “wheel,” but it is also used figuratively, or symbolically, on one occasion in the Scriptures to refer to the realm of “time.” Thus, the translation, “fitly.”
The phrase “a word fitly spoken” carries the sense of a word that is spoken at the right time. We see this in other translations.
BBE, “ A word at the right time is like apples of gold in a network of silver.”
Rotherham, “Golden fruit in figured silver baskets, is a word spoken on fitting occasion .”
YLT, “Apples of gold in imagery of silver, Is the word spoken at its fit times .”
The Hebrew literally reads, “A word spoken in season.” We find this same thought in Ecc 3:1-7.
Ecc 3:1, “ To every thing there is a season , and a time to every purpose under the heaven.A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak ;”
This Hebrew word is primarily used in the book of Ezekiel, where it is found 25 of 36 times. In this prophetic book, the wheel within a wheel also refers to the realm of time (Eze 1:16). We know that man measures time by the rotation of the earth and moon, thus the concept of time is equivalent to the concept of rotation.
Eze 1:16, “The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.”
Pro 25:11 “is like apples of gold in pictures of silver” – Word Study on “apples” Strong says the Hebrew word “apples” ( ) (H8598) means, “an apple (from its fragrance), i.e. the fruit of the tree.” He says it probably includes other fruit of its order, such as the quince, or the orange. The Enhanced Strong says it is used 6 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “apple tree 3, apple 3.” Note its other uses:
The apple represents sweetness.
Son 2:3, “As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste .”
It represents comfort to the soul.
Son 2:5, “Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples : for I am sick of love.”
Its smell was pleasant.
Son 7:8, “I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples ;”
Also,
Son 8:5, “Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree : there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee.”
The apple tree is one of the trees of the field that brings joy to men.
Joe 1:12, “The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree , even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.”
This Hebrew word comes from the primitive Hebrew root ( ) (H5301), which means, “to puff, to inflate, to blow hard.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 12 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “blow 4, breathe 2, seething 2, blown 1, lose 1, snuffed 1, give up 1.”
Word Study on “pictures” Strong says the Hebrew word “pictures” ( ) (H4906) means, “a figure (carved on stone, the wall or any object),” and is used figuratively to mean, “imagination.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 6 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “picture 2, image 1, wish 1, conceit 1, imagery 1.”
Pro 25:11 Scripture References – Note a similar verse:
Pro 15:23, “A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it !”
Pro 25:12 As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.
Pro 25:13 Pro 25:14 Pro 25:14
Pro 20:6, “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?”
Pro 25:14 “is like clouds and wind without rain” – Scripture References – Note similar verses:
2Pe 2:17, “These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.”
Jud 1:12, “These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;”
Pro 25:15 By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.
Pro 25:15
Comments – Jesus gave illustrations of the need to be persistent in our prayers in the story of the midnight visit from a friend (Luk 11:5-13) and in the Parable of the Unjust Judge (Luk 18:2-5).
Pro 25:16-17 Too Much of Something Good is not Always Good Pro 25:16-17 has a common theme that teaches how too much of something good is not always good. Honey is good, but too much brings about bad results. Also, it is good to visit neighbours, but if you stay too long, they get irritable and want you to leave.
Pro 25:16 Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.
Pro 25:16
Pro 25:17 Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour’s house; lest he be weary of thee, and so hate thee.
Pro 25:17
For example, I manage a Christian television station in Kampala, Uganda. Although we have good relations with political leaders in Uganda, we rarely approach these high officials for help, lest we weary them with constant requests. Rather than overuse our welcome, we only call them in times of crises.
Pro 25:18-20 Betrayal and Poor Judgment Pro 25:18-19 have a common theme in that they both teach on betrayal. Some of the deepest pains from human relationships come from the betrayal of someone trusted. This causes a sharp pain, which is symbolized as a sharp sword or a broken tooth. Pro 25:20 deals with a similar aspect of being hurt by others through their poor judgment rather than ill intent.
Pro 25:18 A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.
Pro 25:18
Pro 25:19 Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.
Pro 25:20 Pro 25:20
This Hebrew word is found twice in the Old Testament Scriptures, being translated in the KJV as, “nitre 2.” The other use is found in Jer 2:22.
Jer 2:22, “For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD.”
Pro 25:20 Comments Instead of becoming unsympathetic to man’s plight, we are to rejoice with them who rejoice and weep with them who do weep (Rom 12:15).
Rom 12:15, “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.”
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame. Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another: Lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away. A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.
This is an elegant figure to represent the golden fruit of the gospel set forth by the word of the Spirit. And who is the wise Reprover but the Holy Ghost himself? Joh 16:7-8 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Pro 25:8 Go not forth hastily to strive, lest [thou know not] what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.
Ver. 8. Go not forth hastily to strive. ] Contention is the daughter of arrogance and ambition. Jam 4:1 Hence Solomon, whose very name imports peace, persuades to peaceableness very oft in this book, and sets forth the mischief of strife and dissension. Stir not strife, saith he, but make haste to stint it – so the words may be rendered – you may do that in your haste that you may repent by leisure. Hasty men, we say, never want woe. If every man were a law to himself, as the Thracians are said to be, a there would not be so much lawing, warbling, and warring as there is. There is a curse upon those “that delight in war,” Psa 68:30 as King Pyrrhus did, but a blessing for all the children of peace, Mat 10:40-42 who shall also be called the children of God. Mat 5:9 Paul and Barnabas had a sharp, b but short fit of falling out. Act 15:39 Jerome and Augustine had their bickerings in their disputations; but it was no great matter who gained the day, for they would both win by understanding their errors.
When thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.
a . – Herodot.
b .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Go not forth, &c. Illustrations: Gaal (Jdg 9:26-40); the ten tribes (Jos 22:12-34); Abner(2Sa 2:14, 2Sa 2:17); Asahel (2Sa 2:18-23); Amaziah (2Ki 14:8-14); Josiah (2Ch 35:20-24).
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Pro 25:8-10
Pro 25:8-10
“Go not forth hastily to strive, Lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, When thy neighbor hath put thee to shame. Debate thy cause with thy neighbor himself, And disclose not the secret of another; Lest he that heareth it revile thee, And thine infamy turn not away.”
Another translation clarifies the passage: “Don’t be too quick to go to court about something you have seen; if another witness later proves you wrong, what will you do then? If you and your neighbor have a difference of opinion, settle it between yourselves and do not reveal any secrets. Otherwise everyone will learn that you can’t keep a secret, and you will never live down the shame.
Pro 25:8. Our saying, Think before you speak, is here applied to our actions. The verse appears to be describing a man with more temper than judgment; that is, he triggers a situation that overcomes him instead of the other person as he had planned. Often fiery hearts lack cool heads to know what to do after the wheels of trouble have been set in motion. The time to control strife is before it begins, as Pro 17:14 observes: The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: Therefore leave off contention before there is quarrelling.
Pro 25:9. Wisdom would dictate that if there is a serious matter to be taken up with a neighbor, you should discuss it with him alone instead of talking about it to everybody else. Two people can often settle a difference between them, but if you involve several people and he does too, the probability of getting the matter settled becomes more and more remote. Jesus taught the same thing: If thy brother sin against thee, go, show him his fault between thee and him alone: if he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother (Mat 18:15).
Pro 25:10. If you talk over with others things that should remain secret between you and your neighbor, you will no longer be trusted by people; you have destroyed their confidence in you, and they will tell what you have done. And confidence destroyed is hard to be regained. Thine infamy turn not away. One of the best sets of instructions in the Bible is in Jas 1:19 : Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
hastily: Pro 17:14, Pro 18:6, Pro 30:33, 2Sa 2:14-16, 2Sa 2:26, 2Ki 14:8-12, Luk 14:31, Luk 14:32
what: Pro 14:12, Jer 5:31, Mat 5:25
Reciprocal: Jdg 11:12 – sent messengers 1Sa 25:13 – Gird ye 2Sa 2:27 – unless 2Sa 10:6 – Syrians of Bethrehob 2Sa 20:1 – he blew 1Ki 3:25 – Divide 2Ki 14:10 – why shouldest Pro 3:30 – General Pro 13:10 – with Pro 14:29 – but Pro 19:2 – and Pro 20:3 – an Pro 20:18 – and Luk 12:58 – thou goest Act 12:20 – but Act 19:36 – ye ought 1Co 13:4 – vaunteth not itself
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Pro 25:8-10. Go not forth hastily to strive To contend with thy neighbour judicially or otherwise; especially take some time to consider both whether thy cause be good, and whether it be important, as also how to manage it, before thou bring an action at law against him; reflect on the certainty of the expense and the uncertainty of the success, and how much care and vexation it will occasion; lest thou know not what to do, &c. Lest, in the conclusion, thou wish the matter had not been begun, when he puts thee to open shame, by showing thou hast sued him wrongfully, or for a trifle. Debate thy cause with thy neighbour If thou hast any quarrel with him, first try to compose it by private discourse with him. And discover not a secret Any secret; to another Let no heat of contention provoke thee to divulge any of his secret counsels committed to thy trust, or to reproach him with any of his secret faults, as is usual in law- suits and other contentions. Or the words may be rendered, Discover not the secret; namely, the secret difference between thee and him; let it be ended secretly between you, and not be imparted to any other. Lest he that heareth it put thee to shame Reproach thee for thy gross violation of the laws of prudence, justice, charity, and friendship therein; and thy infamy turn not away And that disgrace, which thou didst design against another, fall and be fastened upon thyself.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
This proverb advises us to settle disputes out of court whenever possible. It is not wise to drag someone hastily into court to argue. We should be cautious about sharing privileged information. This may lead to embarrassment (Pro 25:8). We should not divulge secrets to clear ourselves in arguments or we may ruin a friendship. The plaintiff should debate his case with his neighbor out of court. Then the point of disagreement will not become public knowledge (Pro 25:9) and give the plaintiff a bad reputation (Pro 25:10; cf. 1Co 6:1-8).
"To run to the law or to the neighbors is usually to run away from the duty of personal relationship-see Christ’s clinching comment in Mat 18:15 b." [Note: Kidner, p. 157.]
"There is no success which is achieved at the price of your own integrity or someone else’s hurt." [Note: Plaut, p. 258.]